Jim Delaney is puzzled by the lack of enthusiasm for the Big Ten at Rutgers

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I thought you guys on the CR board would find this interesting. Apparently Jim Delaney was at Rutgers today and didn't feel any excitement there about the Big Ten. Wait until he goes to Maryland where over half of them still want to be in the ACC. I found this amusing.

Thanks for the info. Having lived in Northern NJ during Tech's early years in the Big Least, I can assure everyone that the level of interest in college athletics in NJ rivals that in Boston: Minimal. The ACC should never have invited BC and the Big 10++++ should never have invited Rutgers. EAch conference will regret those choices for generations.

Thanks for the info. Having lived in Northern NJ during Tech's early years in the Big Least, I can assure everyone that the level of interest in college athletics in NJ rivals that in Boston: Minimal. The ACC should never have invited BC and the Big 10++++ should never have invited Rutgers. EAch conference will regret those choices for generations.

Thousands and thousands of NJ high school kids leave the state for college every year. many of which head to southern state schools in the ACC and SEC. i was one of them. do they all stop caring about college sports when they graduate and go back home? do they just not go back home (like me)? or do they simply only care about their alma mater so overall TV ratings and home attendance at Rutgers don't benefit? i'm curious.

That excitement will come in the near future after they start playing in the conference. They'll obviously miss some of their old rivalries, but they'll be thrilled to be there when it's all said and done. Just like Cuse and Pitt will be to be in the ACC.

There's not much excitement for Maryland sports in the ACC either. I don't hear people talking about the Terps like they talk about Penn State, Va Tech, Clemson in their home states. There are some who talk about men's lacrosse but lacrosse is a big sport in Maryland at every level, so they talk about high school, club, college, and professional. The last time Terps fans were really talking about their school was when Gary Williams lead them to a national title. At Maryland, like a lot of schools, they only get excited when they're winning and ranked in the top 15 or so. As for football, hardly anyone that I've known in Maryland during my 26 years here talk about Terps football. They love talking about the Ravens and Redskins. Maryland, like a majority of the states north of the Potomac, has a pro sports mentality. When Tech would play the Terps in football, hardly any of the Terps fans that I knew even knew they were playing us and expected them to lose to us anyway. They simply didn't care. Most of the Maryland fans that I know never felt totally welcomed by the ACC and said it was too North Carolina-centric (which I agree). Funny thing is, I hear the same thing from Penn State fans who say they still don't feel fully accepted by the Big 10 after over 20 years as a member. Maryland will continue to be an outlier, but just in another conference. At least their athletics department will make more money to mismanage.

Yep, these conference leaders fail to realize the importance of "fans." Actual fans are the most important thing. Rutgers has millions of potential fans in NYC, but they haven't
been able to regularly sell out their stadium ever. Same exact thing goes for Maryland and BC.

They just care about the number of subscribers they get out of a certain market for their cable channel.

Oh, and the whole line about, "Rutgers and Maryland are both AAU schools" was such a joke.

They have struggled in the ACC in football, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State when they get through their mess...might do the exact opposite of exciting their fans if they get drilled.

Originally Posted by reestuart

That excitement will come in the near future after they start playing in the conference. They'll obviously miss some of their old rivalries, but they'll be thrilled to be there when it's all said and done. Just like Cuse and Pitt will be to be in the ACC.

Thanks for the info. Having lived in Northern NJ during Tech's early years in the Big Least, I can assure everyone that the level of interest in college athletics in NJ rivals that in Boston: Minimal. The ACC should never have invited BC and the Big 10++++ should never have invited Rutgers. EAch conference will regret those choices for generations.

That's kind of why I found it a little humorous that someone like Jim Delaney would try to compare the enthusiasm level in New Jersey at a place like Rutgers to the enthusiasm at one of his other additions like Nebraska. I don't quite think you'll see the same level there Jim! Earth to Jim!

As for Boston College, they were requested by Miami in a package. They also were a means to an end in securing Notre Dame for the ACC. Boston College is in a Pro Sports town. And I'm glad John Swofford isn't going to Boston surprised that BC doesn't have the same enthusiasm as Virginia Tech or Florida State.

There's not much excitement for Maryland sports in the ACC either. I don't hear people talking about the Terps like they talk about Penn State, Va Tech, Clemson in their home states. There are some who talk about men's lacrosse but lacrosse is a big sport in Maryland at every level, so they talk about high school, club, college, and professional. The last time Terps fans were really talking about their school was when Gary Williams lead them to a national title. At Maryland, like a lot of schools, they only get excited when they're winning and ranked in the top 15 or so. As for football, hardly anyone that I've known in Maryland during my 26 years here talk about Terps football. They love talking about the Ravens and Redskins. Maryland, like a majority of the states north of the Potomac, has a pro sports mentality. When Tech would play the Terps in football, hardly any of the Terps fans that I knew even knew they were playing us and expected them to lose to us anyway. They simply didn't care. Most of the Maryland fans that I know never felt totally welcomed by the ACC and said it was too North Carolina-centric (which I agree). Funny thing is, I hear the same thing from Penn State fans who say they still don't feel fully accepted by the Big 10 after over 20 years as a member. Maryland will continue to be an outlier, but just in another conference. At least their athletics department will make more money to mismanage.

Interesting perspective. Maryland fans will support their team when they are winning. Ralph Friegen had them winning in the early part of the decade right before VT joined the ACC, and they sold out their allotment to the Orange Bowl and the Peach Bowl the next season. It's also the genesis of their stadium expansion. But when the team faded, the fans faded at a rapid pace. It's happened to UVA some too, but nothing like Maryland. And overall since I've been following the ACC for 35 years, Maryland fans seem much more into basketball. Their complaints about North Carolina bias has to do with the location of the Men's basketball tournament more than anything else. They will not see improvement in the Big Ten on this issue I don't imagine.

The Penn State comment intrigues me. The Penn State people I know say the same thing. They hate the Big Ten, but they like its money. If the ACC can ever get close, they would be a great fit for the ACC especially with Pitt in the ACC. They could balance the North Carolina bias some with more presence in Pennsylvania. I know Gordon Gee says Penn State just abhors Pitt. I wonder if that was more attributed to Joe Paterno than Penn State generally. Another reason for Penn State to look is spelled out in this article from one of the Notre Dame football message boards that I found. Seems that the Big Ten isn't making friends too much with Notre Dame lately given recent comments. The solution is not for the Big Ten to gobble up the ACC and make the rest of the ACC schools miserable. It's for Penn State to leave the Big Ten and move into a league giving it access.